Method of operating gas producers



March 25 1924.

i-lid May 6, 1919 lll ltd

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all

Mar, 25, 11.924

LETHQD tlh @PERATING GAS FPRQDUGW.

Application tiled may 65,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, Annnnr L. GALUSHA, a citizen of the United States,residin at Sharon, in the county of Norfolk and tate of Massachusetts,have invented certain new and useful llm rovements in Methods of@perating Gas reducers; and l do hereby declare the following to be alull, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame.

llhe present invention relates to gas producers adapted to produce gasfrom coal, colic, charcoal, or other solid or suitable liquid fuel, andmore particularly to the method or process for operating such producers.

In the production or gas in such producers it is necessary not only tosupply air and steam to the producer, but also to provide for theaddition of more fuel and the removal of accumulations of ashes duringthe continuous operation of the producer. Furthermore, it is sometimesdesirable or necessa to provide access to the interior of the pro ucerfor urpose of inspection, stirring or rahng t e fuel bed. he a result,producers are constructed with openings and suitable closures therefor,besides havin the necessary valves and connections, al of which fit withmore or less exactness. Numerous opportunities are thus provided forleakage around the closures, valves and fittings, whereby gas may escapeoutwardly from the producer, or air may leak inwardly, according to therelative pressures within and Without the producer.

Producers as at present constructed and operated are of two types. Onetype may be called the pressure producer, in which air and steam aredelivered to the producer under a pressure above atmosphere, commonlyinto the air-ti ht ash pit. Pressure above atmosphere is t us maintainedin the ash pit and in the producer. It is apparent that in this pressuretype of producer if the ash pit door or other orifice below the fire isopened for the removal of ashes or for any other purpose the pressurenecessary to force air and steam through the fire-is destroyed and gasproduction is greatly reduced or ceases altogether. Furthermore in thispressure type of producer gas will pass out into the atmosphere from theproducer wherever opportunity ofiers. 'lhe escape of gas even in smallquantities is objectionable. Not

only is its'odor exceedingly disagreeable but it is liable to cause.illness oil the operator. The escape of gas in any considerablequantitles, particularly where there is not the lreest ventilation, maylead to danger of an explosive mixture of the gas and air.

In another type of producer, in which the gas is withdrawn from theproducer under a substantial vacuum, say for storage purposes, thesuction or vacuum being relied upon to draw air and steam into the ashpit, the leakage around the closures and valves of the producer will beinwardly and air will enter the producer or its connections, resultingin the combustion or burning of the gas with which it comes in contact,thus not only diminishing the uantity of combustible gas delivered by te producer, but

diluting such delivered gas with carbon dioxide and also creating anundesirably high temperature. Furthermore, in the present suction typeof gas producers, the opening of the ash pit door to remove ashes orclean the fire breaks the vacuum which alone draws steam into the fire.llhe steam flow to the fire then either ceases altogether or changes itsratio to the air. This results in much poorer gas and bothemome clinkersin the fire.

llt is the object of the resent invention to avoid the objectionableeatures attendant upon the operation of producers of the pressure typeand of the vacuum or suction type, and this object is accomplished,generally speaking, by maintaining substantially atmospheric pressure inthe ash pit.. Serious interference with the production of gas by openingthe ash pit is thus avoided and so slight a vacuum required in theproducer that there will be no substantial leaka e of air around theclosures and valves 0 the producer.

lhis object is accomplished by sup lying steam and air to the producerat su stantially atmospheric pressure and in amounts proportional to theamount of the gas delivered therefrom, so that the greater the amount ofgas withdrawn from the producer the greater will be the amount of steamand air supplied and vice versa. Any convenient means and method may beemployed for controlling this sup ly of air and steam, a convenientmethod being to control the steam supply in accordance with the deliveryof as and then to control the amount oil air y the volume of steamdelivered. lhus, the

reater the amount of gas withdrawn from t e producer the greater will bethe amount of steam and air delivered to the producer, and by properadjustment and control the delivery of steam and air to the producerwill be in quantities just sufficient for the roduction of the amount ofas withdrawn. gince the proper uantities 0 air and steam are deliveredto t e ash pit at substantially atmospheric pressure as distin uishedfrom the producer itself supplying t e se elements by means of its ownsuctlon, a minimum reduction of pressure or vacuum can be maintainedwithin the interior of the producer.

In the accompanying drawings is shown an apparatus designed to operateaccording to the above method, the gas consuming element being aninternal combustion engine, and the steam being generated by the exhaustof the engine. The quantity or volume of steam generated and deliveredto the producer varies with the volume and tem rature of the exhaust,which in turn is etermined by the volume of gas withdrawn from theproducer, and the quantity of air delivered varies with the quantity ofsteam. Fi re 1 of the drawings is a general view in Sid: elevation of aproducer and internal combustion en he with the necessary connections toena le the producer to operate in accordance with the present inventionFig. 2 is a detail view showing partly in side ele vation and partly invertical section the method of introducing the water into direct contactwith the products of combustion to cause the eneratlon of steam; Fig. 3is another detail showing partly in side elevation and partly in verticasection themethod of separating the steam thus generated from theproducts of combustion; Fig. 4 is an enlarged horizontal sectional viewon line 44 of Fig. 1; and Fig. 5 shows in side elevation a modifiedconstruction.

In Fig. 1 the gas producer is indicated generally at 2 and theas-consuming element is indicated at 1, the atter being shown as aninternal combustion engine. The gas producer may be of an suita le orusual type, it having associated t erewith a scrubber 3 into which thegases are delivered through the pipe 4 and in which the gases arecleansed and purified. From the scrubber the gases pass by means of apipe 6 to a pressureualizing chamber 7, from which they are ta on to thegas engine or other gas-consuming element. I have herein shown theintake lpe 8 of the engine as connected to the tank through a valveconnection 9, said intake pipe also being connected to a pipe 10 whichleads to the atmosphere so that when the engine is operating both airand gas will be drawn through the pipe 8. The pipes 9 and 10 are reguated by suitable valves 11, and a throttle or wer control valve 12 isalso provided in t e intake pipe 8.

13 indicates the exhaust manifold of the engine which leads into theexhaust pipe. This exhaust pipe comprises the vertica ly dis osedportion or pi e section 15 which lea s into the horizonta pipe section14.

16 indicates a steam pipe by which steam is admitted to the ash pit ofthe producer 2. This. steam pipe leads into the upper end of an airinlet pipe 17 which is larger than the steam pipe and the force of steamissuing from the pipe 6 acts to draw air in the upper end of the airpipe 17 and the commingled steam and air are then delivered to theproducer 2.

In the apparatus illustrated in the drawings I have provided means forgenerating steam and delivering it to the producer in quantitiesproportional to the quantity of gas withdrawn from the producer byintroducing water into direct contact with the hot products ofcombustion in the exhaust pipe of the engine. This can be done bytapping a water pipe 36 into said vertical portion 15, as shown in Fig.2. The water may be taken from any suitable source. One convenientarrangement is that by which the water may be taken from the waterjacket of the engine, or in case the exhaust manifold 13 iswater-jacketed, then from the water jacket of a manifold. It is thelatter construction which I have herein shown, and in Fig. 2 I haveillustrated the manifold 13 as provided with a water jacket 170. Thepipe 36 leads into this water jacket, as shown at 18, and is providedwith a suitable regulating valve 19 by which the flow of water can becontrolled. When the valve 19 is opened water will flow into the exhaustpipe and thus be brought into direct contact with the hot roducts ofcombustion, the heat of whic will generate steam. Preferably an excessof water is supplied to the exhaust pipe so that this will e kept freeand open and all salts, dirt, and other solid impurities will be washedout by the water passing therethrough to the exhaust pipe outlet. Thesteam thus generated, any excess water that has not been vaporized, anysalts or other solids which may be contained in the water, and theproducts of combustion will pass into the horizontal section 14 of thepipe, and since the specific gravity of steam is less than that of theproducts of combustion and other substances carried along thereby therewill be a tendenc for the steam to rise to the up r side 0 thehorizontal pipe section 14 an for the heavier substances, such as excesswater, salts, dirt, and other impurities that may be contained in thewater, and the products of combustion, to settle to the bottom of themixture at t e upper side of the pipe section 14 will be much richer insteam than the mixture at the lower side of the pipe section 14. I haveprovided herein means for pipe section 14. Hence the gas.

Bill in along the lower part of the pi e which has trapping orwithdrawing from the exhaust pipe the portion of the gas mixturetraveling into the pipe 14: and forms anobstruction across the upperportion thereof. The lower end of this deflector is preferably curvedforwardly, as best seen in Fig. 3, and it acts to deflect into the domethe gaseous mixture at the upper part of the pipe which is rich steam.'l e gaseous mixture passing comparatively little steam an which alsocontains any unvaporized water, salts, dirt,

or other solid impurities, will pass beneath the deflector 21 and beexhausted from the exhaust pi e in the usual manner.

vThe dc ector 21 is preferably made adjustable'so that a greater or lessproportion of the gases passing along the pipe may be deflected into thesteam dome 20. This is herein accomplished by providing the deflector 21with a clhmping screw 23 which extends through a vertlcal slot 22 formedin the steam dome, a cap plate 24 being employed to close the slot. Byloosening the screw 23 the deflector may be adjusted vertically and whenthe screw is tightened it will be longitudinally held in its adjustedposition. The cover plate 24: will keep the slot 22 closed in allositions of the deflector.

In the operatlon of the device I prefer to so adjust the valve 19 thatthe amount of water delivered to the exhaust ipe will produce an excessof steam over t at necessary to provide proper gas-producing conditionsin the gas producer. The pressure of the gases in the exhaust pipemaintains suficient pressure in the steam dome 20 to force the steamfrom the steam dome through the pipe 16 into the gas producer. Said pipe16 is provided with a regulating valve 26 by which the amount of steamdelivered may be properly regulated. The steam dome 20 is of suficientsize so that the gases passing thereinto have a relatively slow motionupwardly therethrough. Hence an water, salts, or other'heavy substancesw 'ch may become trapped with the steam will have an opportunity togravitate out of the steam dome into the exhaust pipe before the steamis delivered to the pipe 16. The amount oi steam which is delivered tothis gas producer depends upon the pressure in the steam dome 20 andthis in turn depends upon the pressure in the exhaust pipe which varieswith the amount of gas consumed. An increased consumption of gas due toan increased load th on the engine will produce an increased pres surein the exhaust pipe, thus increasing the pressure in the dome 26 andcausing larger volume of steam to he delivered to the producer. Adecreased consumption of gas with a consequent decreased pressure in theexhaust pipe will have the reverse efi'ect. Hence the amount of steamwhich is delivered to the gas producer varies automatically as the gasconsumption varies, and the proper quantity of steam will he deliveredto the producer for the production of the quantity of gas withdrawn.

l have stated above that the steam issuing from the delivery end of thepipe 16 operates to draw air into the open upper end of the pipe 1? sothat a mixture of commingled air and steam is delivered to the gasproducer. For controllingthe amount of air that is drawn into the pipe17 I provide an air valve 25 which is in the form of a plate pivotallymounted on the steam pipe 16 and adapted to swing across the end of thepipe 17. This valve may be positioned so as to,

close the 0 en end of the pipe 17 more or less, depen ing on the amountof air which it is desired to admit.

Inasmuch as the quantity of air delivered to the producer depends uponthe amount of steam delivered, and the latter in turn depends upon thequantity of gas withdrawn, it is possible by proper adjustment of theair and steam valves 25 and 26 to cause commingled air and steam to bedelivered to the producer not only in the proper relative proper tions,but in such quantities and at such a pressure that substantially atmosheric pressure will be maintained in the ash pit and in. the combustionspace of the producer under varying rates of production.

in Figs 1 and 3, l have shown a construction wherein the steam used isgencrated from water delivered into direct contact with the products ofcombustion. lln Fi 5 l have illustrated a slightly diderent em odimentof the invention wherein the steam dome 20 has a steam pipe 27 leadingthereinto so that steam from any source may be delivered directly to thesteam dome. With this arrangement I propose to deliver tothesteamdomcsteam in excess of that required and then. to rely upon thepressure of the exhaust gases in the exhaust pipe to maintain thenecessary va ing pressure in the steam dome to force t e requisitequantity of steam into the gas producer as the gas consumption varies. Imay also provide a steam pipe 28 leading into the exhaust pipe and whichtakes its steam from any suitable source. This arrangement will have thesame automatic regulation of the delivery of steam to the gas roducer asis present in the construction s own in Figs. 1 and 3, because as thegas consumption lncneases and e pre mure in the exhaust pipe correspondlllO ingly increases the pressure in the steamdome will also beincreased and thus more steam will be forced into the gas producer,while a reduction in the consumption of gas will produce a correspondingreduction of pressure in the steam dome which results in a correspondingreduction in the amount of steam delivered to the gas producer.

While I have shown and described one form of apparatus adapted to carryout my improved method of operating gas producers, it is to beunderstood that my invention is not limited to such apparatus but may bepractised by many different forms of apparatus Nor is my inventionlimited,

except when so specified in the claims, to controlling the quantity ofsteam delivered to the producer by the heat developed by the gasconsuming element, but in its broader aspects contemplates may controlor re ulation of the steam an air to provi e amounts proportional to theamount of as withdrawn from the producer and the elivery of the same tothe producer, so that substantially atmospheric pressure will bemaintained in the producer under Varying rates of production of gas.

Having thus described the present invention and explained the manner inwhich it may be practised, what is claimed is:

1. The method of operating gas producers which consists in deliveringgas from the producer to an internal combustion engine, admitting waterto the exhaust ipe of the engine in quantities in excess of t evaporizing capacity of the exhaust, delivering steam from the exhaustpipe to the producer, and washing out the exhaust, pipe by means of theunvaporized excess of water.

2. The method of 0 rating gas producers which consists in de ivering gasfrom the producer to an internal combustion engine, delivering steam tothe producer under the varying pressure of the exhaust, controlling theflow of gases through the exhaust pipe independentl of the operation ofthe engine to regulate t e pressure of the steam, and. permittin theexcess of steam to escape throu h t e exhaust pipe.

3. he method of o crating gas-producers which consists in de ivering gasfrom the producer to an internal combustion en 'ne, admitting water tothe exhaust pipe 0 the engine to generate steam, delivering air andsteam to the roducer in amounts automatically control ed by the pressureof the exhaust, and permitting the excess of steam to escape through theexhaust pipe.

4. The method of 0 rating gas producers which consists in de ivering gasfrom the producer to an internal combustion en 'ne, admitting water tothe exhaust pipe 0 the engine to enerate steam, intercepting to agreater or ess do the flow throu h the exhaust pipe to ivert steam fromt e exhaust pipe and to control the ressure thereof, and re latinthe'flow 0 such diverted steam to t e p ucer.

ALBERT L. GALUSHA.

